Ringo Starr’s son Zak Starkey canceled a scheduled performance in London after suffering a blood clot in his leg.
The musician was set to perform alongside his band, Mantra of the Cosmos, at the Karma Sanctum Soho in London on Tuesday, January 21. The gig was canceled following Starkey’s sudden diagnosis.
Multiple outlets reported that Starkey, 59, was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right leg. Doctors ordered him to take blood thinners and rest for two weeks so ensure more clots would not develop. As a result, the singer cancelled Tuesday’s performance just hours before it was scheduled to start.
While Starkey skipped out on the event, the remaining members of the band, Shaun Ryder, Andy Bell and Mark “Bez” Berry were still in attendance Ahead of Tuesday’s scheduled performance, Mantra of the Cosmos took the stage at Liverpool’s Cavern Club on Sunday, January 19. According to U.K.’s The Independent, footage from that show was played on Tuesday night.
“First of all, can I say how special it was to play the Cavern with Zak Starkey. He’s never been to the Cavern before and it felt special,” Berry, 60, said on Tuesday, per the publication. “It was better than anything I ever imagined in my life. I couldn’t believe how good it was.”
He continued: “To play there … I had to show off right at the end: ‘His f—ing dad’s Ringo Starr!’ Know what I mean? We felt like the Beatles — well, I did for a little moment.”
Liverpool’s Cavern Club is where The Beatles famously got their start. Since Starkey is in fact Starr’s son, the entire experience seemed to be a full-circle moment for the musician.
Starkey said that it felt like he was “picked up and carried by the music” while performing at the iconic venue, according to an interview published by the BBC on Monday, January 20.
“We set up two kits and we double drummed the Beatles show,” he continued. “I’ve never been nervous in my life — I’ve been on stage since I was 12 years old — but it’s holy music. I know it, but I don’t know the drum bit.”
Starkey admitted he was “freaked out” by the caliber of the show, mostly because it is “not cool” to mess up songs by The Beatles — especially there.
